Cast: Sanjeev Kumar, Jaya Bachchan, Dina Pathak, Asrani.
Release Year: 1972.
Director: Gulzar.
Movie for this week is Koshish
– a superlative story on love, life, courage and hope. This was Gulzar’s
second movie as a director, and the first one I’d seen when I was about 8 or 9.
I remember being completely bowled over by the performances.
A realistic tale of a deaf and mute couple, Haricharan and
Aarti, played flawlessly by Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bachchan. The story spans a
period of 20 years of their life. Their love story is touching and has its own
moments, like the one where Haricharan proposes to Aarti and she declines, or
their wedding night. The couple’s first born passes away when it walks out of
the house on a rainy night. But happiness creeps in again when Aarti gives
birth to a ‘normal’ boy. A scene to watch out here is when they discover that
their son is not deaf; Hari breaks a pot while Aarti whistles on! I have a
little problem with the ending of this film. I find it a bit conventional. (But
then again, I always have one or the other problem with almost every film!)
Apart from that, the movie is exceptional. Especially since it does not contain
the usual melodrama that you would expect from a movie that revolves around two
deaf and mute people.
It amazes me how Jaya Bachchan can slip into any role with
such ease. The effort just doesn’t show. And Sanjeev Kumar! He is always at his
best in a Gulzar film. The film’s soundtrack comprises of two very forgettable
songs, but they can be ignored; all thanks to a powerful story.
No matter what or how much I write here, it will not do
justice to what I feel for this film. Yes, I know I’m partial to Gulzar, but all
said and done; Koshish is a film that
you must watch and not read about!
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